Links

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Watch the Birdie! Ruffle pendant tutorial.



Hi, everybody! Last month, spending a family weekend in the Eastern Washington desert, I had the following conversation with my brother.

Eric: Hey, Mich! On the way back from the grocery store I noticed a Dollar Store in town. I think it might be having a going-out-of-business sale.
Mich: (cool as a cucumber) Oh, I see. How interesting. (faints from excitement.)

Eventually, after being revived, I rushed out to that sale and had my way with it.  It was the final day, and nearly everything was priced 5-for-a-dollar. I'm dying to show you some of what I bought - and some of the wack-a-doo things I made. First ingredient:

Badminton birdies! I created several different kinds of jewelry from these. Starting with a fun pendant idea. Here comes the tutorial - follow along, now!

Snip the center section away from the rest. Then remove a little piece to open up the circle, leaving you with a strip of plastic lace. This pic shows the steps:


Next, make a wrapped loop at one end of some craft wire. Then weave the wire through the top edge of the lacy strip. Like this:


Now squoosh it up tight so you have a ruffle. Make another wrapped loop to hold the ruffle in place. You will end up with...


...a fabulous, funkycool, plastic ruffled pendant! I like it just as is. Hang it on a neckwire, chain, ribbon or cord. Tres hip!



But this piece is also a wonderful blank slate to embellish. Change it up, be creative! It is so much fun to style! I like the strange sort of winged effect it gives to just about anything.

You could go girly, with a silver pendant...

Romantic, with an angel...

Even practical, with a pretty timepiece!

Okay, those were cute. But come on, people! We're talking badminton birdie jewelry. I prefer it styled with a little edge.

How's about some petroglyphs?

Or way too many rhinestones?

Something for the Mahjongg ladies.

This one is the bobble end of a vintage elastic hair tie:


Hindu goddess, anyone?


These are some shrinky-dinks I made from #6 plastic:


And this one...well, let's just call it 'other.'


There you have it: Badminton Birdie Project the first. More later! Stay tuned.

14 comments:

  1. Wow now I want to go buy some and make that. You know me I wow girlie it up. That gave me an idea. Now I have to buy them. I just love your creativity with non jewerly items.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I saw those stores going out of business when I visited WA too...

    This is a cool project! You are so good at transforming things. Nobody would ever know the ruffle was from a birdie!

    Heh. you said wack-a-doo!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love other something about it makes me smile!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. No way, that's too cool! Love the lace look... and the version with 'too many rhinestones' (is that possible?!?)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Too cool!!
    Who da thunk it?
    You!
    That's who!!

    Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well i say! you are one creative birdie... :) or is it shuttlecock? i think birdie sounds more demure!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh how fun! I would have loved to have caught one of those sales! Thanks for the comment. Your blog is so much fun & it means even more that you liked my necklace, because you are great with jewelry!! ;) Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. WOW! Now I´m surprised! It loks like lace! I love this idea...thanks for leaving your sweet comment on my blog. Saludos desde México! Clau

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, trying really hard not to resent you after reading that you went to a *dollar store going-out-of-business sale*...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congrats on the CRAFT feature!!! http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/07/how-to_badminton_birdie_ruffle.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great idea! Love the variety. But aren't they kinda scratchy to wear?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Heather - thanks for letting me know. And (I suspect) for tipping them off. You are theee best! Amigurumigirl - actually, they're really soft & pliable, and not scritch-scratchy at all.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Is it my imagination or is "other" a head made using the "Ello Creation System"? My daughter has quite the growing collection of those but I hadn't really looked at them as potential materials for me. Maybe when she outgrows them.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ello_Creation_System

    ReplyDelete